Members satannica Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 I don't fancy having to replace out another mains transformer, so figure it may be best to invest in a decent power conditioner. I had a Furman yonks back which saved my rack on a couple of occasions, but no idea what to buy these days. Wat do, HCAF crue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sixtonoize Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Rule of thumb: If it's under $500, it's not going to protect anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jenksdrummer Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Rule of thumb: If it's under $500, it's not going to protect anything. Not true. 1-10th the cost. http://www.apc.com/products/family/?id=67 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sixtonoize Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 That's why it's a rule of thumb and not a law of nature. If it's going to be rack mountable (like the OP mentioned), it will be at least $350. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members charveldan Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0BDGNPXtOQ For tube amps you want this ........ http://www.furmansound.com/pdf/manuals/POWER_FACTOR_PRO_manual.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jenksdrummer Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 For tube amps you want this ........http://www.furmansound.com/pdf/manuals/POWER_FACTOR_PRO_manual.pdf That reminds me, I need to go buy a $300 power cord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zeppelin Rules Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Dan, did you really just make a video of flashing lights on your power converter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Miter Gauge Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Some conditioners (even the lower cost ones) advertise having some sort of insurance with them, if your equipment dies while using it you get some pay out. I wonder if this is legit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sleewell Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Dan, did you really just make a video of flashing lights on your power converter?dont ask to see his other "documentaries", that {censored} is just not right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members satannica Posted October 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 I'm not fussed about it being rackmounted or not - just needs to do what it's meant to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sleewell Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 i have a cheapo furman power strip. doesnt really do much protecting but it does have 2 neato pull out lights so at least i have that going for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members satannica Posted October 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 That reminds me, I need to go buy a $300 power cord. Would you like to see my Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wesg Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Are you sure it was "bad power" that friend your mains transformer? And not, say, 20-year-old electrolytic caps leaking enough DC to crank up the power draw through said transformer? (Transformers tend to be insanely bullet proof, being basically just really long wires) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members satannica Posted October 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Are you sure it was "bad power" that friend your mains transformer? And not, say, 20-year-old electrolytic caps leaking enough DC to crank up the power draw through said transformer? (Transformers tend to be insanely bullet proof, being basically just really long wires) Yep. Power died at our rehersal spot. Took out my mains transformer on the Peavey and my Dunlop DC Brick in one spam. Thankfully my pedals are fine. TBH, even entertaining the propspect of it being a coincidental failure, I'd rather safeguard my expensive gear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jenksdrummer Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 I'm not fussed about it being rackmounted or not - just needs to do what it's meant to Realized your overseas. Not sure if APC makes a Line-R that works with your crazy ass double-voltage {censored}. TrippLite does though: http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/model.cfm?txtModelID=2873 It's both good and bad that it has "few" steps - means if your voltage is close, but varies a bit, it won't be clicking back and forth. I ran into that with the Furman unit - my house voltage at the time varied between 125 and 127 volts, which, would make it switch taps...which made an audible difference with my amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LoopQuantum Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Cheap power conditioners use self sacrificing MOVs. (Metal Oxide Varistors)....they're essentially rackmounted power strips. (Furman M8, ETA PD8, Monster Pro900, etc) Nicer ones employ multiple stages, and are a much better option. Furman PL8 and up in their line. Or Monster Pro2500 and up, IIRC. Also, they will maintain a steady 110/220 within a limited range. If you need a Voltage Regulator, not a power conditioner, it's because you have extreme voltage fluctuations. This would be a different beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Miter Gauge Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Are the nicer ones multi-use or will they die if they take a power hit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HKSblade1 Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Some conditioners (even the lower cost ones) advertise having some sort of insurance with them, if your equipment dies while using it you get some pay out. I wonder if this is legit. Have you ever heard a case of these product vendors actually paying a claim? You might be thinking APC power supplies which are not high current voltage regulators. OP needs something like a Furman AR1215 minimum. That is a power regulator and line conditioner. A power regulator regulates and maintains the line voltage. AC is known to fluctuate at times depending on the loads. A power regulator controls this by regulating the voltage to the connected device. Power regulators also shut down when abnormal power situations occur. We use a pair of P-1800 AR's on our main rigs. We do a lot of shows with generators so they are needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 I use a Tripplite unit that cost me about $120. I don't remember the model number, but it's not rackmountable. I never had an issue with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 ok found it online... LC1200. It's more than enough for just my amp and pedalboard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842111275&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scratchie Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 I don't fancy having to replace out another mains transformer, so figure it may be best to invest in a decent power conditioner. I had a Furman yonks back which saved my rack on a couple of occasions, but no idea what to buy these days. Wat do, HCAF crue? How do you know your "Furman" saved your rig? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HKSblade1 Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 ok found it online... LC1200. It's more than enough for just my amp and pedalboard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842111275&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA Those are not the same thing. Those are for computers and other Home A/V that won't get shut off abruptly from brownouts, and or from surges when the power comes back on. They do not regulate the ac line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Those are not the same thing. Those are for computers and other Home A/V that won't get shut off abruptly from brownouts, and or from surges when the power comes back on. They do not regulate the ac line. it's been working fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members satannica Posted October 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 These are Furman's current UK offerings: http://www.furmansound.com/product.php?div=03&id=ClassicSeries_Export Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HKSblade1 Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 it's been working fine We checked them out just to see since we play a lot of outdoor gigs with generators. The little Triplite work for spikes more than for conditions you get at bars or other things like generators where loads vary. When we tried them I set a variac on about 90v for a minute or two with a simple 100w light bulb as a load (the 1200VA its supposed to regulate). It maintained some until we added a second load (100w light bulb), then it shut down. I have two of them though. One for my wife's computer and my sons computer. I have the bigger rack mount 2400 series for my home studio and computers. I like it for the ability to quickly save my work before it shuts down. Given the load on that 2400 (2 computers and a few pieces of small rack gear) it provides about a minute and a half before it shuts down (during brown outs). There are other APS units with longer VA specs but a minute or so is enough time to safely save work and shut down. Those Furman Voltage regulators work to provide additional current boosting to the load during underages and will maintain that line up to the given load requirement. For the opposite condition the current will be dropped during over voltage line conditions. The AR1215 a max of 45A which is why we used them for lighting and PA. More than enough to regulate high demand gear with high power fluctuations like Pro Audio, lighting, and guitar amps etc. Of course if the venue only has a limited amount of power circuits, as we have seen in the past, the system will just do a soft shut down vs an abrupt cut off. Our rack power regulators were tested recently when a commercial refrig unit blew a line at one of the bars we played. {censored}ing lights everywhere were off, others flickering. The PA was working fine and then shut down right before the mains blew (a few seconds). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.